'Disgraceful!' - Linesman takes outrageous tumble after colliding with Bayer Leverkusen substitutes during Arsenal clash in UEFA Champions League

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In a high-stakes UEFA Champions League game in Arsenal's hunt for an unprecedented quadruple, there was a strange moment when the assistant referee fell onto the pitch after clashing with a substitute. TNT Sports commentators Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist saw the funny side of it, with Fletcher jokingly calling him a "disgrace" and McCoist suggesting he had gone down with "reasonable justice."

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The TNT Sports commentary team of Ally McCoist and Darren Fletcher could not stifle their laughter at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

During Arsenal's UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg clash against Bayer Leverkusen, the assistant referee was seen bundling onto the pitch as he ran down the line during a Gunners' attack.

With Mikel Arteta's team in front late in the first half, thanks to a thunderbolt strike from Eberechi Eze, Danny Makkelie's assistant seemed to trip over a substitute before falling onto the pitch.

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"I thought he went down easy," McCoist said on TNT Sports as he reacted to a replay.

"He might have gone over a substitute," Fletcher replied. "There you go.

"Look how far he’s gone into the pitch. I think he’s over-egged that. The lino’s going to get booked for simulation! He made a load of that."

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But McCoist quickly rushed to the defence of the official and felt that he had a reason to go down.

"I disagree, totally. I think he’s gone down with reasonable justice," he joked, which led to Fletcher asking: "You’re describing that as graceful? Disgraceful, I would have said. Good lord.

McCoist added: "He won’t be happy with the substitutes anyway, they’ll get an earful."

The assistant referee tripped over Bayer Leverkusen substitutes who were warming up on the right-hand side of the dugouts.

During Premier League and domestic cup matches, substitutes warm up on the left-hand side of the manager's technical area.

But in the Champions League, the players are separated and keep warm on opposite sides of the pitch, which ultimately caused the incident which saw the assistant referee clash with a substitute and be sent flying onto the field of play.

The Gunners went into the game with their quadruple hopes on the line after a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Germany.

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